Stealing Shiloh Read online

  He shakes his head. “Nope. What you’re wearing is perfect.”

  If he says my nightgown is perfect, who am I to argue. “How long did we sleep?”

  “Most of the day,” he replies with a yawn. “It’s almost dinner time, so we best get moving.” Nul heaves himself off my bed and pulls on his shirt that’s on the floor. “I’m sure the guys are already waiting for us.”

  After another okkren trip down to Oxious, we land outside Lorenthis once again and wait for the huge unok to open and allow us entrance. I feel silly wearing this nightgown while walking through town, especially when I notice how fancy my guys look.

  I’m about to ask them what the fuck is going on, when they pull me up a hill to a beautiful house. Trov knocks loudly on the door, and a huge purple alien with a familiar face opens it. I peer around Trov to look inside when I hear, “Shiloh!”

  Carmen runs to greet me, also wearing a nightgown in a matching shade of pink. After questioning why we are both in pajamas, one of her mates, Vrid, tells us, “We thought you’d like a slumber party!”

  Carmen and I burst into laughter as she tries to shush me, not wanting her mate to feel bad.

  Our mates introduce themselves to us then inform us they are going for a drink to celebrate Klan Marix’s victory over Klan Narj. I look around at the huge home. A stairway runs up the right wall, leading to a balcony dotted with doors for bedrooms. Carmen pulls me through an eating space to a massive open kitchen and living room.

  Carmen and I aren’t the least bit surprised when they handcuff us together so we won’t get into trouble. She introduces me to mylenum, a drink that rivals my latte and hot cocoa.

  After kissing our guys goodbye, we plop on their huge couch and watch as much Harry Potter as we can. We laugh and cry, reliving our best and worst memories. We talk about how good the sex is and speculate on what happened to the other girls.

  Carmen gushes over my pendant while untying her nightgown to show me her Klan’s insignia tattooed on her chest. I love her new artwork. She laughs and tells me she’s threatened her Klan to tattoo something on them to remind them of her.

  We giggle at that, my heart filling with joy.

  I didn’t realise how much I needed this. Even though I love my Klan, you can’t replace your best girlfriend. Spending this night with her makes me feel like I’m home.

  Twenty-Eight

  Cryk

  I have to admit, it doesn’t feel right to leave my mate behind. I share a look with Ryx as the okkren takes off and can tell he feels the same way.

  “What bar do you want to try?” Ryx asks.

  The other Klan is sitting together opposite us, but the tightness around their eyes shows they are also uncomfortable with leaving their mate.

  “We were thinking of going to Ruvrix,” I reply, thinking of how wild the place already was when we passed by earlier today. “We’ve heard they have great food and entertainment.”

  Ryx’s eyes widen with interest. “What type of entertainment?”

  I grin maliciously. “Cage fights to start. Humans and Drykken battle for money.”

  “Now that’s entertaining,” he agrees. We fall into casual banter. Trov and Kronk discuss the best way to punch someone in the face to knock them out, while Vrid and Joss deliberate stealth. I fall into conversation with Ryx about his newest weapon when the okkren lands near the bar.

  The Totiv here give us a wide berth as we strut down the streets. Both Klans wear our sashes, ours indicating us as generals and theirs deeming them praised warriors. No one even makes eye contact with us.

  Damn right.

  Trov points to a building up ahead with dark red double doors and a bright sign above, gleaming with the name “Ruvrix.” We step through the swinging doors behind Kronk and Nul. Music thumps through the place and into my body, and hovers above us flash coloured lights to the beat.

  Ruvrix is more like a stadium with a cage sunken in the middle for the fights rather than an average bar, with tiered seating surrounding the cage on all sides. I lead us to the top tier and order a round of drinks. After Vrid passes me a beverage, we all raise our glasses.

  “To Carmen, our mate,” Kronk says.

  “To Carmen,” we all shout back, before taking a drink.

  Remembering I had obtained a lounge area for us, I shout over the music, “I have a table reserved for us to watch the fights! Follow me.” I weave down a flight of stairs to the middle tier and over a row to the lounge area. It juts out over the lower tier, giving us a perfect view of the fighting cage.

  We all sit down on stools overlooking the fight as the announcer introduces two humans named Bart and Shay-mus into the ring. A shot is fired and the fighting begins as I sip on the liquid in my glass. I’d love to let go for once and drink to my heart’s content, but something isn’t sitting right with me. I keep looking around, scrutinising every face as if a silent enemy is lurking behind every patron.

  I can’t relax.

  Carmen’s Klan jokes about the humans, then Vrid questions Ryx, “How do you think our mates are getting along?”

  “You kidding me?” Ryx scoffs. “Did you see how happy they were together in their matching pajamas? Fucking adorable.”

  I sure as vekk did.

  Shiloh looked delectable in her little pink nightdress. I just wanted to scoop her up and snuggle up tight next to her all night long. I decide right now that’s exactly how I will spend my night. I’ll hide her away in my room, strip her naked, and kiss every hill and valley on her body until she’s moaning my name, and coming around my cock.

  I have to stifle the desire to grip myself through my pants. Instead, I watch the second fight intently. Ryx leaves to order us another round of drinks as two Totiv go head-to-head in the cage, barrelling into each other with pummelling fists. One with a tail stabs his opponent, who roars and charges his pointed horns into the other’s shoulder.

  Ryx returns a few minutes later looking a little out of sorts. A server enters our lounge shortly after him and places nine glasses with nine shots on top of our table

  “You trying to kill us?” Joss jokes, glaring at Ryx.

  “No, he’s just showing off!” Kronk laughs.

  “Me? Show off?” Ryx replies, pretending to be offended. “I’d never…”

  Before Ryx can get another word out, Xal stands and raises his glass. “To our mates! May they be ours until the end of our days.”

  We all cheer then drop our shots into our glasses and watch as flames shoot from our cups. Once the fire dies out, I bring the glass to my lips and take a small sip. I keep my eye on Ryx, who doesn’t look good. I go to ask him if he’s okay when he chokes out, “I gotta get some fresh air.” He waves off any help and stumbles through the bar.

  Not long after, all hell breaks loose. The fighting in the cages gets out of control as spectators climb the sides and launch themselves at a pair of fighting humans. Then brawls start up all over Ruvrix. It’s like the entire place has gone insane.

  We abandon our drinks and go to look for Ryx, who’s yet to return. Both Klans scour the inside and outside of the bar, but find nothing except a puddle of blood on the side of the building.

  “We need to get back to Shiloh and Carmen,” I tell them after what feels like hours of searching. “Something doesn’t feel right about this, and it’s been bothering me all night. I thought it was just me, but now that Ryx is missing…”

  “Agreed,” Kronk growls. “Get to the okkren, now!”

  We run together and practically crash into the okkren, trying to get inside. The quick trip back to Klan Marix’s house feels like days, even though only a few minutes have passed.

  Klan Marix exits first when we land, rushing up to their house. I push past them as they standoff with Carmen and unhook Shiloh from her Harvest sister, bringing her into my arms.

  I cringe when Kronk has to tell her Ryx has been taken. Where most women would fall to the floor in a puddle of tears, instead, anger morphs on their mate�
�s face. Her eyes flash with wrath as she demands answers. Klan Marix tries to calm her down, wanting her to stay with us while they go look for him.

  She looks appalled by the idea and storms off, shouting how she’s not a damsel in distress needing protection while Xal chases after her. Trov exchanges a few words with Kronk, telling him how we will extend our reach as generals when we get back to our ship, and offers to return to help them search for their missing Klan member.

  Poor Shiloh doesn’t even get to say goodbye to her Harvest sister, who is upstairs screaming and frantic.

  I pull her into my side and, after wishing Klan Marix good luck, we leave their home and enter our okkren. Nul punches in the coordinates to J-Lo as we sit in silence. Shiloh is quite shaken, her eyes staring off into space, like she’s here and not all at the same time.

  I want to take her stress, her worry away and bring her smile back.

  “Stop worrying, mate,” Trov says, speaking the words I’ve been thinking. “There’s nothing more we can do for them until we are back home. Klan Marix is strong. Carmen is strong. They will find Ryx, and when they do, they will rain hell down on whoever stole him.”

  Shiloh shakes her head, deflating. “I know. It’s just…We were having such a great time. I finally had a friend in this new world. Then all of a sudden, everything is chaos. I’m scared for her. I’m scared for me. What would happen if I lost one of you? What would happen if someone were to take me like they took Ryx? I don’t think I could survive it.”

  Joss kneels at her feet, holding her hands gently with his own. “That will never happen, Shiloh. We’re safe out here with the moons and stars. Nothing will happen to you. J-Lo is the most elite ship in our entire fleet. Nothing can beat us, okay?” A tear drips from her green eye, but she nods anyway and drapes her arms around Joss. “Aww, Shiloh. It will be okay,” he coos, picking her up and sitting back down with her arms and legs wrapped around him.

  A few minutes later, her sniffles turn to even breathing. “Is she asleep?” I ask Joss quietly. He nods and strokes her hair. Poor thing.

  “Do you think it was Drykken who took Ryx?” Nul inquires softly, not wanting to wake Shiloh.

  Trov nods solemnly. “That or Yarek, but we have not heard of any sightings on Oxious in the past several days.”

  “I think we can rule out any other Klans after Marix’s performance in the Zarl earlier today,” I add. “No one would vekk with them after that.”

  We ride in silence the rest of the way home, each lost in our own thoughts as exhaustion threatens to cradle us in its sleepy arms. After we dock, Joss carries a still sleeping Shiloh back to her room. None of us follow, giving them some time alone, even if she’s just sleeping, because sometimes sleeping together brings us closer than words ever could.

  I bid goodnight to Nul and Trov and slip inside my quarters. After taking a quick shower, I encase myself in my comfortable covers and fall asleep with memories of Shiloh tucked under my arm at the forefront of my mind.

  Twenty-Nine

  Shiloh

  I wake up with the nightmare still lingering in my mind—grey, skeletal hands reach for me, mouths filled with fangs gnashing, and my Klan wasn’t there. I was all alone, cold and afraid. The feelings are so foreign after the last few weeks of happiness that it startles me. My heart’s racing, palms sweating, and I know I won’t be going back to sleep.

  I’m sure the nightmare is a product of my mind wondering what happened with Ryx. Just thinking about how easily he was taken—a warrior like him—has fear shooting through me. If he couldn’t escape or kill whoever took him, then what chance would I have? But I have to trust my Klan, my mates, to keep me safe. And now I’m very aware of just how dangerous my new world is, and I’ll be more diligent when we leave the ship, and train alongside Trov to learn about his weapons.

  I hope Carmen is okay. I’m betting by now she’s killing some aliens to find her mate. That girl will stop at nothing to protect the ones she loves. I wish I could be by her side, but this fight is hers.

  I blink my eyes open, shivering from the cool air in my room. My mate must have taken me here when I passed out. I look down at said mate and see Joss sleeping peacefully next to me, his hand outstretched towards me even in slumber, as if he can’t bear to be away from me. It makes me smile, and in the dark room, I lean down and lay a kiss on his head. “I love you,” I whisper, needing him to know after I was reminded today how fragile life is. Making sure not to wake him, I slip from bed and pad across the floor on silent feet.

  With one last glance back at my mate, I leave my room in search of answers. My pink nightgown swirls around my legs, reminding me of how much fun Carmen and I were having before everything happened. Entering the morfka, I head to the one place I know someone will be…the bridge.

  When I get there, I stand in the doorway, watching Trov in the captain’s chair. He’s typing on his tablet, his other hand steepled under his chin, his brows furrowed and lips turned down. He looks so alone, so isolated, that I instantly step closer, wanting to take it away.

  “Trov?” I call quietly.

  His head jerks up like he didn’t even hear me approach, which isn’t like my usual warrior general. He blinks, sitting back in his chair, but he’s still tense. “Shiloh, everything okay?” he asks, concern lacing his tone.

  Shiloh? He never calls me that. Something is definitely up.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” I shrug, and he sighs.

  “Come here, mate,” he orders, patting his lap.

  With a smile, I rush into his arms. That was what I was waiting for, and I didn’t even know it. He pulls me closer, and I snuggle into his lap, sighing when he kisses my head. The feeling of being safe, of relaxing, flows through me. He sighs as well, and I feel his rigid body turn pliant and warm.

  But it gives me time to think as we sit here, to ponder what occurred. What could happen? Not just to me, but to Carmen? To Harlow, Daisy, and Tatiana?

  He must feel me tense again. “Talk to me, mate, who do I need to kill?”

  I lift my head, and he cups my cheek, searching my eyes for answers I don’t know how to provide. He can’t kill my fear, although he would try. This is my battle, an internal war, but it doesn’t mean I can’t lean on him…them.

  “Have you heard anything about Ryx? Is he okay? What about Carmen?” I rush out before snapping my mouth shut.

  “Carmen is fine. The rest of the city? Not so much. No one is safe from the infamous Harvest Girl Carmen and her praised Klan of warriors’ wrath. Klan Marix have found where he is, they are going there now and have asked us to stay out of it.”

  “But why? Do they not want help?” I question in confusion, my lips twisting and nose wrinkling.

  “No, it would dishonour them, it would mean they are admitting they are not strong enough to protect their own Klan. We have to allow them to do this, but don’t fear, little one, they will get him back. For now, let’s focus on something else,” he offers, stroking along my back, comforting me.

  I shake my head, feeling lost and afraid as I glance away before focusing my gaze back on my mate. I need him. Just…just him. To protect me, to promise me everything is okay, even if it isn’t. For one moment, I want to feel safe and happy. “I can’t, distract me. Please, Trov, make me forget for just a moment.”

  Heat surges through me as he yanks me closer. “I can do better than a moment.”

  Thirty

  Trov

  I crush my lips to hers, losing myself in the sweetness of her mouth. Everything else fades away but my mate. The worry, the stress, the demands of leadership…it’s all gone, wiped away by her. Her musky scent wraps around me like magic, her taste invading my senses, and her curves press against my body until I feel wild.

  Feral.

  My cock jerks in my pants, needing to be buried inside her. I am very aware I haven’t had her since the Vultana and never had her alone. “Shiloh,” I growl, entangling my hand in her hair and yanking it back until her nec
k forms a long line. She cries out, jolting on my lap before rubbing against me. “Say yes, tell me this is what you want,” I order, needing to hear it. Needing to know that she wants me just as much as I want her.

  “Yes,” she whimpers, her teeth biting down on her plump lower lip.

  Tightening my grip, I make her cry out again. “Only I get to bite you.”

  Those green eyes flash under the lights of the bridge as she forces her head higher, pain from my hand tightening her features. “Then do it,” she dares, her eyes locked on me.

  Clutching her hair, I raise my other hand and wrench her nightgown down, her supple breasts spilling out and into my palm. Her plump, pink nipples tighten in the cool air. Licking my lips, I lean forward and suck one into my mouth, rolling it around with my tongue as she pants and rubs herself against me desperately. My cock lengthens as her musk fills the air, the scent growing so thick, I can almost see it.

  Lifting my head, I give her other breast the same treatment before kissing down her chest and belly. Hoisting her up with my other hand, I hold her aloft as I push up her nightgown with my nose and lay a kiss on her bare pussy.

  “Trov, please!” she screams, making me chuckle as I sit back. Releasing her hair, I raise her effortlessly and undo my trousers with my other hand, freeing my cock. Her eyes simmer with desire as she watches me.

  The needy little thing tries to wiggle closer and impale herself on my hard length, but I wrap my arm around her and spin her, forcing her to straddle my lap. Pushing her forward, I press her head between her knees. She teeters on my lap as I yank up her nighty, exposing her pussy. It’s pink, glistening, and pulsing with want.

  “Vekking beautiful,” I growl, imagining my big, thick cock driving in and out of there right here, right now. The fact that we are in the bridge, for everyone to see, just makes me hotter. Harder. The only thing that would make this better is if we were in the middle of battle, but that can be saved for another time.